Sofia Bekatorou OLY

Sofia is a graduate of the Psychology Department of Panteion University and has pursued lifelong training in Lacanian psychoanalysis. She has completed an annual Gestalt group psychotherapy seminar and is a founding member of the Psychoanalytic Association, "The Letter." She has also completed two annual executive coaching seminars of the Hellenic Coaching Association (HCA), certified by EMCC. Sofia works as a psychologist and psychoanalytic psychotherapist, and she maintains a private practice.

Her scientific interest focuses on improving the provision of mental health services to vulnerable groups and the community broadly. To this end, she explores the input of sport, arts, and dance in trauma treatment to develop relevant group and individual programs. In 2023, in collaboration with the European Anti-Violence Network and the “Vima Koino” (i.e., Common Step) Mental Health Center, she realized mental empowerment programs employing sports as a tool, which benefited a refugee and non-refugee, mixed population of adolescents from three NGOs.

For the last three years, she has been providing her services to survivors of abuse as a volunteer of the European Anti-Violence Network (EAVN), and she supports the awareness-raising and educational activities of the NGO Elisa on the prevention and battling of child abuse.

In the past, she has represented her country with pride and integrity as a member of the Greek Olympic Team, participating in 4 Olympic Games (2000–2016) and winning the Olympic Gold and Bronze medals in the women's Two Person Dinghy (470) and Three Person Keelboat (Yngling) categories in 2004 and 2008, respectively, as captain of the team. In 2012, as the head coach of the Russian team in the match racing category, she won 4th place.

She is a proud mother of two children, 15-year-old Dimitris and 12-year-old Georgia, who remain a constant inspiration and motivation for creativity and social contribution.